Serial communication channels are common in telecommunications and computer architectures. In serial communication, data is transmitted sequentially, one bit at a time, over a communication channel or bus. Serial channels can be clocked at higher speeds than alternative parallel channels, but move a fraction of the data over the channel per clock cycle. As high-speed serial technology develops, serial channels are clocked at increasingly higher frequencies and can support increasingly higher data rates.
One such development in high-speed serial communication is the decision feedback equalizer, or “DFE.” Generally, as serial channels become faster, they experience increased data loss, i.e. become “lossy.” DFEs have proven to be efficient at mitigating high-speed lossy channels, allowing increased data rates at the receiver. A DFE uses a previous detector decision on a bit to reduce inter-symbol interference (ISI) on the current bit being detected. This reduces errors on the serial channel and allows for higher data rates.